Monday, October 17, 2011

How to organise your filing system

I used to hate filing. Every time I tried to organise my filing system I would give up after an hour because:

It was confusing (how do I group the paperwork?)

It was too messy (I was trying to sort it out on the floor)

It took too long (and there was no end in sight)

But without a decent filing system I was losing paperwork - which led to late payments on bills and more money spent as warranties were lost. Anything I didn't lose was just piling up around the house and the mess was driving me crazy.

Luckily I like a challenge, and I love organising, so I spent some time researching filing systems and now I have a system that works well for me - simple and effective.

Today I'm sharing it with you in case you need help with your filing too! So here it is:

Write your file labels FIRST: It will make sorting out your paperwork quicker, neater and easier because you can just pick up a pile and sort as you go. You don't need to know every label to use at the start, you can add them as you go along, but if you would like a guideline, you can use my personal filing label plan here for free, and just alter it to suit you.

Attach your labels to your hanging and manilla folders: Make sure the labels are written clearly and placed in easy to read areas on your folders. I like to put the hanging file labels on the left, and each manilla folder label on the right:

Sort through your paperwork, filing as you go: If you enjoy sorting your paperwork, you can do this step in one sitting, but if you don't have a lot of time, or find you get interrupted a lot (like I do with the kids), you can do this step in 15 minute intervals. It will take you a bit longer, but you'll be less likely to give up! The main point to remember here is that the hard part is already over - all of your papers have a home, you are now just gradually placing them where they belong. Don't forget to have a recycling bin handy so you can rip up and throw out old, irrelevant papers as you go.

Believe it or not - that's it! Follow those steps and your filing system will be so beautiful you'll be happy to file every new paper immediately from now on :)

If you think this system will help your friends and loved ones too, please share by clicking on the facebook, twitter or email buttons below, and help them get on top of their filing too!